The Heritage Foundation Will Help Trump Destroy The Arts, NPR

The Heritage Foundation is behind the latest budget news to come from almost President Trump’s* campaign. Per The Hill:

The departments of Commerce and Energy would see major reductions in funding, with programs under their jurisdiction either being eliminated or transferred to other agencies. The departments of Transportation, Justice and State would see significant cuts and program eliminations.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be privatized, while the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities would be eliminated entirely.

Overall, the blueprint being used by Trump’s team would reduce federal spending by $10.5 trillion over 10 years.
The proposed cuts hew closely to a blueprint published last year by the conservative Heritage Foundation, a think tank that has helped staff the Trump transition.

First, who exactly is The Heritage Foundation? They are an extremely conservative think tank responsible for the controversial bills in Mississippi and North Carolina. Ask former Governor Pat McCrory about the gigantic disaster last year! They strongly believe in free market unless it is “big business” pulling out of states that pass ridiculous laws. Then it is “economic coercion and cultural cronyism.” Blah, blah, hypocrites, blah. These people are so conservative, looking at their website made me feel like I spent a week at fundagelical church. They also have a Devos Institute, if that name rings a bell.

Many of the specific cuts were included in the 2017 budget adopted by the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), a caucus that represents a majority of House Republicans. The RSC budget plan would reduce federal spending by $8.6 trillion over the next decade.

The RSC has been offered previously as a MORE conservative option to the standard GOP budget. Even then with a majority it did not pass.

More fascinating is what Heritage and cronies consider corporate welfare that absolutely must go: the Minority Business Development Agency, the Economic Development Administration, the International Trade Administration and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. There is no mention of the massive tax breaks given or closing loopholes in existing laws. They are only going after these four organizations specifically.

The cuts at the Department of Justice will include: the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Violence Against Women Grants and the Legal Services Corporation and for reducing funding for its Civil Rights and its Environment and Natural Resources divisions.

Is it just me, or is there a pattern emerging here? There are additional cuts at the Departments of Energy and State. But these two target minorities and women. That sounds almost like a fundagelical…oh, right. It’s the Heritage Foundation.

The cuts to the Arts and Humanities will hurt artists and educators the most, so this is another blow to teachers, too. Per Consequence of Sound, these two cuts will net about $150 million per year, or one percent of the overall savings. Trump plans to add back $450 billion in military spending, and for what nobody seems to know quite yet.

The good news is this budget is not a sure thing by a long shot. Moderate Republicans are the biggest hurdle, just as they were last time a budget like this was presented. You already know what to do. Get on your phone and start calling your representatives, and let them know what you think about these budget cuts, especially in favor of greater military spending.